Saudi Grand Mufti Urges Troops to Defend Kingdom as Israel Reports Gaza Deaths

Saudi Arabia's highest religious authority has issued a rare statement urging the kingdom's soldiers to be ready to defend the country against attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, who generally refrains from political commentary in a country that wields considerable influence among Muslims worldwide, directed his message at troops guarding the kingdom's borders and at members of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. The statement, carried by the Saudi Press Agency late Thursday, was laced with Quranic verses and religious edicts.

"Protecting this great nation, guarding its borders, defending against aggression and punishing those who want to harm any inch of it is one of the greatest duties ... where lives are sacrificed for the sake of God," he said.

The intervention follows a period in which Saudi oil facilities, cities and ships off the coast have come under mounting attack. Riyadh says it has intercepted a number of missiles fired at the kingdom, but it and its allies have struggled to contain the Houthis.

In Gaza, Israel's military said two soldiers were killed on Thursday while inspecting an unexploded Israeli drone near a military post in the north of the territory. The drone detonated as the soldiers approached, according to the military, which described the blast as "a serious safety incident" and said it was under investigation. The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead. They were identified as Ofek Moalem and Nadav Kali.

They are the first Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in months. Five had previously been killed since a ceasefire last October that sought to end a war of more than two years between Israel and the militant Hamas group. Although the heaviest fighting has eased, the truce has been marked by near-daily Israeli fire, repeated airstrikes and shootings targeting Palestinians near military-held zones. Gaza health officials say 1,408 Palestinians have been killed.

Meanwhile, the wars in Iran and Gaza have dominated the agenda at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the leaders of Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt were scheduled to address the world body later Friday.

Behind the scenes, the U.N. agency for Palestinians has held meetings with officials from the U.S.-created Board of Peace, even though the board has said the agency, known as UNRWA, will have no role in a future Gaza. UNRWA has not been publicly included in the board's planning for the territory's postwar future. Philippe Lazzarini, the agency's last chief, said members of a Palestinian technocratic committee have made clear they want to work with UNRWA.

"They know that if you get completely rid of the agency today, it might have a further additional devastating impact on the population," Lazzarini said. The situation highlights how central UNRWA remains to addressing Gaza's humanitarian crisis during the fragile ceasefire, even as Israel has sought to marginalise it. Israel alleges the agency has been infiltrated by Hamas militants, claims the International Court of Justice has said have not been substantiated.